NCJ Number
218145
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 63-72
Date Published
February 2007
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Information presented on a sample of battered women (n=18) who received residential services in Barcelona, Spain, includes personality patterns, psychopathological symptoms, dyadic relationship adjustment, and the characteristics of their abuse.
Abstract
Sixteen of the 18 women had experienced various forms of abuse, and 10 had been victims of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. The authors conclude that psychological abuse occurred whenever any kind of aggression was involved. Indicators of more severe abuse were the presence of sexual aggression, the length of time over which the abuse occurred, high frequency of abuse, and the male partner's abuse of the children. Based on the women's scores on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II), they had low levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and had a predominance of a schizoid personality pattern. This manifests itself in withdrawal and social isolation. These latter symptoms and associated behavioral patterns should be the focus of treatment. The instruments used to assess the women were the MCMI-II, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and an adapted version of the Semistructured Interview on Domestic Abuse. 2 tables and 47 references